Hossa Gets Revenge On Coyotes
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Marian Hossa insisted playing the Phoenix Coyotes gave him no added motivation.
His play said something else.
Backing up a stellar season opener, Hossa scored two goals against the team that knocked him out of last year's playoffs and the Chicago Blackhawks spoiled another celebration by holding off the Phoenix Coyotes 6-4 Sunday night.
"I think it was special for him after what happened last season," said Chicago center Dave Bolland, who had two goals and an assist. "It was a big night for Hos."
And another one for the Blackhawks.
Chicago ruined the Los Angeles Kings' Stanley Cup banner-raising ceremony Saturday with a flurry of goals and did the same thing to the Coyotes after their Pacific Division banner unveiling.
Hossa was the main attraction, drawing boos from a sold out crowd at Jobing.com Arena in his first game back since being knocked out of last year's playoffs on a blindside hit by Phoenix's Raffi Torres.
Hossa showed no signs of rust in the Blackhawks' opener, with two goals and an assist against the Kings on Saturday.
He kept it rolling against the Coyotes, scoring a goal 50 seconds before Viktor Stalberg in the second period and another 14 seconds into the third.
"I can't expect two goals every night, but it's nice to have a good start," Hossa said.
His teammates know the feeling.
A night after scoring five goals against the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Blackhawks kept pouring in goals against the defending Pacific Division champions.
Bolland scored in the first period and put Chicago up 6-4 in the third just 22 seconds after Phoenix pulled within one after two quick goals. Patrick Sharp scored in the second period and Hossa sandwiched Stalberg's goal with his pair.
Through two games, the Blackhawks have scored 11 goals.
"I thought all the lines had good speed, good puck possession and puck placement," Chicago coach Joel Quenneville said.
The Coyotes haven't had much go right so far this season.
Phoenix had uncharacteristic breakdowns in an opening 4-3 loss to Dallas on Saturday night and had several more against the speedy Blackhawks.
David Moss and Antoine Vermette each scored and Doan added an assist in his 1,200th NHL game, but the Coyotes have allowed 10 goals in two games — not quite the start a defensive team would expect.
"It's just terrible goaltending," Coyotes goalie Mike Smith said. "It's kind of a weird season, but that's no excuse."
Game 2 for both teams in this sprint of a season was a rematch of the opening round in last year's playoffs, a physical series that Phoenix pulled out in six games.
The rematch opened with the Coyotes unveiling the Pacific Division banner at the north end of Jobing.com Arena, a ceremony the Blackhawks skipped.
Once the puck dropped, there were some hard hits, but didn't seem to be any lingering animosity.
Phoenix got off to a quick start, scoring less than 4 minutes in when Moss gathered a loose puck in from the crease and flipped a soft shot that squeezed between goalie Ray Emery's pads.
Chicago tied it midway through the first on a power play, when Bolland one-timed a pass that Patrick Kane threaded through the crease.
Vermette put Phoenix back up early in the second, punching in a rebound after a shot by David Schlemko at the point was tipped by Doan and bounded hard off Emery.
Sharp tied it midway through, taking a nifty little flip pass from Bolland and firing a wrister off the crossbar just over Smith's stick shoulder.
Hossa scored on a wrister after cutting to avoid a defender and Stalberg found the net less than a minute later with another wrister after Coyotes defenseman Zbynek Michalek fell and gave Chicago an odd-man rush.
Hossa scored again right after the faceoff to start the third period, slipping a backhand past Smith to the short side.
After the quick goals by Hanzal and Doan in the third period cut the lead to a goal, Bolland pushed the lead back to two with a shot that caromed off Smith and shot into the air before falling behind him into the goal.
"That's not how we're going to play and that's not how we're going to win," Coyotes coach Dave Tippett said. "These are critical errors at the wrong time."
Notes: Chicago LW Daniel Carcillo was out of the lineup and could miss up to a month after suffering a right knee injury in the opener against the Kings ... Chicago's Brandon Bollig and Phoenix's Paul Bissonnette had a lengthy fight in the second period. Both received 5-minute penalties and Bissonnette got a light, atta-boy pat on the cheek from Bollig after it was over. ... Doan has played all 1,200 of his games with the same team.
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